Earth First S U S TA I N A B L E E V E N T S O L U T I O N S THE NAME GAME How to maintain the practicality of name badges while minimizing their environmental impact by Connie Jeske Crane Unsexy and unremarkable as they may be, badges are also an integral part of the event experience. Lately though, event professionals have been giving them a rethink. Could badges be more eco-friendly? Is it all necessary—those long loopy lanyards and plastic? We talked to two experts about badges and what changes may be afoot: Are badges necessary? In a word, yes. Romina Kwong of Toronto-based Eco-Friendly Events says, “I definitely think they’re a necessary evil, especially when you’re at a hotel or convention centre and there are multiple events happening.” Similarly, Mitch Malinsky of Toronto-based event platform maker PheedLoop says, “Badges are a really fundamental aspect of events. At the lowest level for security, to ensure people being admitted to events have purchased tickets and they’re who they say they are.” But Malinsky stresses badges can also facilitate networking and spotlight sponsors. Recycling Malinsky identifies “three major impacts of traditional badges—the raw materials and production, the transportation and then how they are handled at the end.” One sustainability step to consider is recycling. When sourcing badges, event profs can look for lanyards and badge holders that are: • produced locally vs. overseas (to reduce the transport carbon footprint) • made from recycled materials (e.g., recycled plastics) • made of recyclable or compostable materials (paper or seed paper, etc.). Kwong cautions some follow-through is required though: “You have to talk to the waste management company to ask them if they can accept it into their recycling or compost bin.” In addition, organizers have to work badge return and recycling into their procedures. Reusing Reusing elements such as holders or lanyards is another strategy. With lanyards, Kwong says, “Most people, I would say, don’t even really care to keep their lanyards, so make it a practice to collect them and reuse them.” One group Kwong worked with recently had the same sponsor for multiple events, so with the logo-bearing lanyards, she says, “We’re able to at least reuse the lanyards for that year.” Malinsky sees two opportunities for reuse with traditional badges. First, ensure badges are “designed in a manner where you can reuse and repurpose them for multiple years. The way some of our badges work is they come with labels. So instead of printing the essential details directly onto the badge, you print it on the label that then gets stuck onto the badge and can be removed at the end of the event. So you can collect these badges [and] repurpose them for multiple years.” Looking ahead, Malinksy says, “Something that’s a little more advanced and hasn’t yet gotten much traction in the industry is a digital badge.” While there’s a higher cost to fully programmable and reusable digital badges, he says, “Spread out over time it does get to be very affordable.” Big picture Ultimately, Kwong says, to be meaningful, any eco-friendly badge initiatives must be embedded within a larger sustainability focus that also embraces central site selection and comprehensive waste diversion. “I’m glad people are talking about sustainability, but the ultimate impact of badges really is very little compared to, for example, attendee travel or food waste.” Summer 2023 | Ignitemag.ca | 15
